Media Release
20 May 2012
Mt Wellington public forum: Tuesday 22 May at 7.00pm, Baha’i Centre of Learning for Tasmania
The Tasmanian Conservation Trust is holding a public forumto discuss the natural values of Mt Wellington and why significant development(including a cable car) should not be permitted at the pinnacle or any othersensitive areas of WellingtonPark.
The Tasmanian Conservation Trust has a long association with WellingtonParkstarting back in the late 1960’s when the TCT began lobbying for a managementplan for the area. The TCT’searly draft management plan was co-opted by the Hobart City Council andresulted in the establishment of the East Wellington Range Management Committeein the 1970s to finalisea MountainParkmanagement plan.
The TCT’s Biodiversity Campaigner, and event organiser, Ms Jennifer Rowallan, stated that‘Again in the 1990s the TCT was integral in lobbying for the establishment ofthe current Wellington Park Management Trust. During this time and to date, theTCT has strongly opposed proposals of a cable car to Mt Wellington, a debatewhich has been a recurring issue since 1905’.
‘Since 1905, the cable car idea has been revived over half a dozen times andeach time it has been rejected by the general public’, said Ms Rowallan
One of the reasons the TCT has initiated this public meeting is to buildinterest in the ongoing review of the Wellington Park Management Plan.
‘The Wellington Park Management Trust released a discussion paper for publiccomment at the end of 2011 and we expect a draft management plan to be releasedin June this year.
‘Public comments to the draft plan are the most significant way in which peoplecan influence the future management of Wellington Park and we hope to engenderenough interest in people to make submissions.
‘We are encouraged by the comments received on the 2011 discussion paper whichgenerally support retention of the status quo in terms of development on andaccess to Mount Wellington’, said Ms Rowallan.
Responses to the discussion paper (as summarised on the Wellington ParkManagement Trust web site) found that:
– 63.4% of people either strongly approve or approve of maintaining theprohibition of commercial development outside of the Springs.
– 56.8% strongly disapprove or disapprove of allowing for consideration ofalternative forms of transport to the pinnacle plus associated commercialdevelopment. A range of options from a cable car to mini buses and 4- wheeldrives during and following heavy snow falls were considered.
– 83.3% either strongly approve or approve of maintaining the existing snowmanagement access approach.
The public forum will be held on Tuesday 22 May at the Baha’i Centre ofLearning for Tasmaniafrom 7pm.This event is open to all interested individuals.
The evening will be chaired by Margaret Steadman. Guest speakers include GeoffLaw, Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick, Peter McGlone, and local Fern Tree businessowner Matt Kruse. A question and answer forum will follow the speakers’session.
Jennifer Rowallan, Biodiversity Campaigner Tasmanian Conservation Trust Inc
